Tensioning device for elastic threads



Nov. 18, 1930. c. F. KENYON TENSIONING DEVICE FOR ELASTIC THREADS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 1, 1928 INVENTOR. fiavtrifvfgzywv- WM ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 18, 1930.. c. F. KENYON 1,731,817

TENSION [N6 DEVICE FOR ELASTIC THREADS File'd Feb. 1, 1928 .3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. I av/! 419/: 0/.

A TTORNEYS.

Nov. 18, 1930; c. F. KENYON TENSIONING DEVICE FOR ELASTIC THREADS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 1, 1928 .illIl-i? INVENTOR. fi/ z/a/a.

, ATTORNEYS.

I Patented Nov. 18, 1930 the elastic threads UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE? TENSIONING DEVICE FOR ELASTIC THREADS Application filed February 1, 1928. Serial m5. 251,057.

This invention relates to an improved means for applying tension to rubber threads while being covered with yarn or the like; and the object of this invention is to provide a tensioning device may be applied to a loom, a braiding machine or other machine for applying yarn to elastic threads, the tensioning device being located vice for controlling the degree of tension to to provide a be applied to the threads that shall be necessary for operating the feeding mechanism.

A still further object of the invention 1s operated by effective action of the by the tension of the elastic threads.

The invention furthef consists in the provision of a group of thread-gripping feed wheels engaging a group of elastic threads with means controlled by the tension'of the elastic for operating said wheels.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novelfeatures of construction, as willbe more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

ig. 1 is a side elevation illustrating my improved elastic tensioning device as applied to a loom, a portion of the mechanism of which is shown in outline.

Fig. 2 is a top view illustrating a plurality of sets of my improved tensioning devices each of which is applied to a set of elastic threads shown as being woven into elastic webbing.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing portions partly broken away and illustrating of this character which" step-by-step feed device which is th pawl and ratchet mechanism,,the I pawlbeing controlled cotton was arranged to the general arrangement of my improved elastic threadtensioning deviceas a unit.

1g. 4 is a perspective view of the pivoted weight lever showing the pawl guard thereon.

Fig. 5 is a group of mechanism showing the weightleverand the feed pawl and ratchet mechanism also the check pawl and ratchet.

Fig.- 6 is a-sectional elevation illustrating the pawl and ratchet driving mechanism.

Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the upright thread feed wheel.

Fig. 8 is .a front view partly broken away showing the series of thread tension control rolls as rotatably mounted on a shaft in the pivot frame.

. 1g. is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8

illustrating the pivot'frame in which these terision control rolls are loosely mounted. g 1

Fig. 11' is a side elevation of one of the feed wheels showing a thread as woven in and out between its radially disposed teeth or fingers,

Fig. 12 is a sectional edge view of one of the feed wheels.

1g. 13 is a sectional elevation showing a; group of these wheels fixed to a feed control shaft.

Fig. l lgis an enlarged perspective view showing a short section of one form of elastic webbing which is formed by the use of my improved device.

By the old method of weaving elastic webasmounted' on and blng a broad faced friction band formed of bear against the surface of the rubber threads wound on the supply reel or spool and a weight was applied to the band to produce friction and so the proper amount of tension or resistance to the let-off rotation. of the spool. It was found in practice, however, that rubber is very hydroscopic or sensitive to the action of oisture, as it col.- lects moisture very rapidly and in depositing narily 'duces, and in some cases this moisture upon the friction band the frictional action of the band upon the rotating spool of rubber threads was materially increased. In other words, by the old method the friction on the feeding rubber was caused to vary with the degree of moisture in the atmosphere and as this moisture is never uniform the stretch of the rubber threads varied greatly during the weaving operation rendering the material thus woven quite ununiform.

Further, it is found in practice that ordithe working stretch of the ,rubber threads while being covered should be somewhere between 100% and 500% according to the class of webbing being made so that as the silk weft yarn is woven on to these rubber threads in their stretched condition this yarn will lie slightly spaced apart across the elastic threads and when the tension on the elastic is released to contract, the spaces between these silk yarns are closed causing the yarn to lie side by side without spaces between them. If the elastic is not stretched sufliciently during the weaving operation the spaces between the silk yarns will not close when the elastic is released which will permit the rubber threads to be seen through between the silk yarns, which effect greatly redestroys the value of the webbing. On the other hand,,if the elastic is'stretched excessively the yarn will pile up or become superimposed one upon the other when the elastic is released producing a loss in length or yardage sometimes to the extent of 25% or more, which produces wrinkles in the webbing and spoils its ap pearance, the excessive stretching also pre-'- vents the flat strands of rubber from spreading to their normal width when released thereby again failing to produce the desired effect in the web, and further this puckering of the web also serves to distort any figure which may be woven in the fabric of the web. From the above it is shown to be extremely desirable that the proper amount of tension be applied to the elastic threads at all times during the covering operation and that friction means applied to the rubber which is affected by the constantly changing atmospheric conditions cannot be relied upon for this purpose. Applicant has accomplished these desired results by the provision of mechanism which is positively driven by action of the machine and this driving mechanism is controlled in its action by the tensionof the rubber strands themselves, whereby when tension or stretch of the strands is increased above a certain percentage, the feeding speed of the elastic threads is increased to reduce this tension and when the tension or stretch of these elastic threads is decreased beyond a predetermined percentage, the speed of the feed is automatically decreased to increase'the tension to the desired degree;

and the following is a detailed description of the present embodiment of my invention and showing one means by which these advantageous results may be accomplished:

I have herein shown my improved device as appliedto a loom, and with reference to the drawings, 10 designates the breast beam of the loom and 11 the take-uprolls therein, the textile warp threads 12 which are dev signed to lie parallel with and fill in the space between the elastic threads and also limit the stretch of the fabric, are conducted from the supply spools 13 around the roll 14. through the heddles 15 and reed 16 on the lay 17 whlle the elastic threads 18 are carried on the spool or reel 19 mounted on the shaft 20 in the side brackets 21. These elastic threads extend from the spool 19 around the guide pulley 22 and are then woven inand out between'the radially-disposed teeth or fingers on the feed wheel 26 thence these threads are carried over the upper set of tension control rolls 27 and then around the lower tension control roll 28 from whence they are led through the heddles and reed to becover'ed at a point 29 and woven into the elastic webbing 30.

Many groups of elastic threads are employed in a web weaving loom, a few of which are illustrated in Figure 2. Each group being woven into its particular webbing 30.

In operating my improved tensioning device, I first preferably apply a very light.

tension to the spool 19 itself by the application of a fabric band 31 to the surface of the elastic on the spool. The upper end 32 of this band is hooked over the rod 33 while the lower end is applied to aweight arm 34, the weight 34 serving to exert a very I light tension on the spool to prevent it from overrun'ning as the elastic threads are drawn therefrom during the weaving operation. Thefeed wheels 26 for the elastic threads may be made in any suitable way but I have herein shown a set of these wheels as formed from sheet stock having radially-disposed fingers 35 set alternately in staggered relation as at 36, in Figure 12. I Preferably weave the elastic thread 18 back and forth through these staggered fingers so that when the thread is drawn .down into position, it is gripped by these fingers and is prevented from being drawn or, slipped therethrough. In other words, it would require an extreme tension at the end of the thread to draw or slip the thread endwise through these'fingers tion of the thread is materially larger than T that portion under tension and this larger portion thus materially resists being drawn between these teeth. Therefore the driving speed of a roll formed by these feed wheels nicely controls threads and as best illustrated-in Figure 13, I have mounted a series of these feed wheels on a shaft "37, and have mounted this shaft the feeding speed of these rte owing to the .fact that the untensioned por- V cally control the speed of of the drive pawl 51 and'ratchet tooth wheel 40 fixed to the shaft 41. The pawl receives its oscillating motion from the lay 17 through the connecting rods 42 and the rocker arm on which this pawl is mounted. One end of these connecting rods 42 and 43 is supported in the depending arm 44 which carries the weight thereof. Ordinarily, it will beseen that the stroke'of the lay would cause the pawl 51 to take a predetermined number of teeth of the ratchet wheel 40 and so through the mechanism above described rotate the feed wheels 26 at a constant rate, but it is found that a constant rate of feed of the rubber threads is not at all timesdesirable but that the feed of these threads must vary and must be controlled by the tension of the Therefore, I have applied mechanism which is operated by the tension of the threads for controlling the effective feeding action of this drive pawl 51. To accomplish this in a simple and effective way, I have provided two sets of tension control rolls 27 and 28, each mounted on its respective shaft 54 and 55 in the frame 56, which frame is pivotally mounted onthe pin 57 in bearings 70 and is provided with a rearwardly-extending arm 58.

A weight controlled lever 59 is loosely mounted on the shaft 41 and has one end 60 connected through the adjustable rod 61 to the frame 58 while its opposite end 62 is connected to the weights 63', the number and weight of which may be varied and regulated to balance the tension required on the set of elastic bands to which the weight is applied. Extending laterally from the face of the enlarged portion of this lever is an arcuately shaped pawl guard 64 so arranged that when the elastic threads 18 become slackened beyond a predetermined "degree the arms 58 and 60 which are connected by rod 61 will lift and carry this pawl guard beneath the pawl 51 and so reduce the number" of teeth in the ratchet 40 it is gage on each of its forward feeding strokes and when the tension of the elastic threads becomes greater than a predetermined degree both the arms 58 and 60 swing downwardly and withdraw this pawl guard from beneath the pawl 51 permitting the pawl to engage In other words, the tension of the elastic threads controls the number of teeth that-the pawl shall take on each of its forward feeding strokes and thereby automatifeed wheels 26. That is, when the threads are too slack the rate of feed or supply s g trolling reduced until this slack is taken up or the tension restored by the weaving operation, and when the threads become too tight this tension serves to act upon the mechanism above described to speed up the feeding of the threads, and so this mechanism is constantly working back and forth to maintain the predetermined tension required on the elastic threads.

In order to limit the extent of swingof .this pawl guard arm 59 a stop lug 66 is provided on the arm to engage either of the lugs,

67 and 68 on the frame to limit theswing of this arm 59 in eitherdirection.

A detent pawl 69 is also arranged to engage a ratchet wheel 71 fixedon the shaft 41 to prevent that shaft from turning backward when the feed pawl 51 is lifted from engagement with its ratchet wheel 40 or when the pawl 51 swings backward after each forward feeding stroke.

My improved feed device for elastic threads is very simple in construction and in its operation and by its use I am enabled to automatically obtain the desired tension'on any individual group of elastic threads in the loom throughout an entire weaving operation irrespective of the amount of humidity in the air or other conditions which have heretofore afi'ected this tension, thereby providing an elastic webbing which is uniform in tension .and appearance throughout its length.

I have herein shown and described my improved device aS appIied 'to a loom for covering the elastic threads but it is understood that the device may be operated in connection with a braiding machine or any other device which is adapted to cover these threads.

he foregoing description is directed solely towards the construction illustrated, but I desire it to be understood. that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all the mechanical changes to which the device is susceptible, the invention being defined'and limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine for threads, a support for a package of elastic threads, means for applying a covering of yarn to these threads as fed through the machine, means operated by actionof the machine for separately engaging each individual thread, means responsive to the tcnsi on of a group of said threads for. controlling the action of the feed device for. that group, and means on the feed device for conthe degree of tension to be applied to said thread group necessary for'operating said feeding mechanism. m

2. Ina loom, a support for a supply pack age of elastic threads, means for weaving a covering of yarn about a set of said threads,

- feeding meansincluding means for engaging each individual thread located interits movement to the sion moves the frame mediate the supply package and the point where the covering of yarnis applied to said threads, means for positively operating said feeding means, and means affected by the tension on said threads for controlling the effective action of the feeding means.

3. In a loom, means for weaving a covering of yarn about a set of elastic threads, separate means for engaging each individual thread, positively actuated means for moving said thread-engaging means to feed the elastic threads, and a balancing device responsive in degree of tension of the elastic threads engaged by it for controlling the effective feeding action of said feeding means.

4. In a loom, means for weaving a covering ofyarn about a set of elastic threads, positively actuated means for feeding the elastic threads, at pivoted roll frame, a pair of rolls in said frame about. which said threads are led and tensioned, a weight acting on said frame to balance the tension of the elastic threads whereby a change in the tento affect the feeding action of said feeding mechanism.

5. In a loom, means for weaving a covering of yarn about a set of elastic threads, a

thread gripping wheel for each elastic thread,

means for rotating said wheel to feed the thread, and means responsive to the change in tension in said threads for controlling thefeeding action of said wheel.

6. In a loom, means for weaving a covering of yarn about a set of elastic threads, a

feed wheel for each elastic thread, pawl and ratchet mechanism for rotating said wheel to feed the thread, and means positioned by tension of the thread for controlling the effective feeding action of the pawl.

7. In a loom, means for weaving a covering of yarn about a set of elastic threads, a pawl actuated feed for said threads, a pivoted frame carrying a pair of guide rolls about thread gripping which the-threads are led, a pivoted lever connected at one end to said frame, a weight acting on the other end of said lever, a pawl guard carried by said lever positioned to lift feeding engagement when the p the pawl from tension on the thread has dropped below a predetermined degree permitting the weight to move the guard beneath the pawl.

8. In a loom, a support for a package from which elastic threads are led through the loom, means for weaving a covering of yarn about said threads, a step-by-step mechanism for feeding said threads, a balancing tension device about which the threads are led, and

means including said device responsive to the V,

tension of the rubber threads for controlling the effective action of said feeding mechanism.

9. In a loom, warp threads, means.

means for feeding textile said threads as neously,

for engaging elastic warp threads individually to feed the same, means for covering both. said warp threads, and means responsive to variation in tension of said elastic threads for controlling the feeding means for the elastic threads to maintain their uniform tension.

10. In a loom, means for feedin a set of textile warp threads,.means una ected by atmospheric conditions for feeding a set of elastic warp threads, said means including structure for individually engaging the elastic warp threads of the set, means for covering both sets of said warp threads, and means responsive to variation 1n tension of said set of elastic threads for controlling the feeding means for the elastic threads to maintaln tic warp threads, means in the loom or weavof yarn over each group of fed simultaneously through the loom, means for gripping and positively feeding said group of elastic threads, and means responsive to change in stretch of said elastic threads located between said covering and feeding means for controlling the action of said feeding means. i 12. In a loom, a supply spool for a group of textile threads, a supply spool for a group of elastic threads, means for weaving a covering of yarn simultaneously over both groups of threads, means independent of said supply spools for maintaining each elastic thread in stretched condition, and means independent of said supply spools for feeding said elastic threads to the machine and responsive in its action to the degree of tension on the threads. 13. In a loom, a support for a groupof textile warp threads, a support for a group of rubber warp threads, weaving means for applying a covering'of yarn over both groups of threads simultaneously, and a positively operated tension control device cooperating with the yarn covering means arranged to individually engage the rubber threads to automatically control thestretch of said threads by controlling their feeding speed.

14. In a loom, a supply package of textile warp threads, a supply package of elastic warp threads, means for applyinga covering of yarn to both of these threads simultaand a positively operated step-bystep feed device independent of the supply package for the elastic threads controlled in its action by the oper ing a covering atlon of the loom for automatically controlling the stretch of said elastic threads.

15. In a loom, a supply package of textile warp threads, 2. supply package of elastic warp threads, means for applying a covering of yarn to both of saidthreads simultaneously as fed, a pawl and ratchet actuated tensioning device independent of either supply package for positively controlling the feeding the elastic threads to maintain their uniform speed ofsaid elastic threads, and means option-in elongation of said elastic threads for erated by the machine for controlling said controlling the feeding means for the elastic feedin speed threads to maintain their uniform elongation.

16. n a loom, a spool for a group of textile In testimon whereof I aflix my signature. warp threads, a spool for a group of elastic OHARLEg FRANKLIN KENYON. threads, means for weaving a covering of yarn about both sets of threads, means for maintaining 'a'predetermined tension on said elastic threads, a feed for the elastic threads independent of either spool including pawl and ratchet mechanism, and means affected by the stretch of the elastic threads for controlling the eflective action of the feed pawl.

17. In a loom, a packageof textile warp threads, a package of elastic warp threads, means for weaving a covering of yarn about bothsets of threads simultaneously, a feed for the elastic threads independent of the package of elastic threads including pawl and ratchet mechanism, means in the loom for imparting a feeding action to said pawl, and means affected by the tension of the elastic threads for controlling the effective action of said feed pawl.

18. In a loom, means for feeding textile warp threads, a supply spool of elastic wa threads, means unaffected by atmospheric conditions and independent of said supply spool for feeding elastic warp threads, said feeding means including structure for separately engaging'said elastic warp threads, means for weaving a covering over both said warp threads simultaneously, and means responsive to variation in tension of said elastic threads for controlling the feeding means for tension.

19. In a loom, means for feeding each of a plurality of spaced grou s of textile warp threads, supply spools of e astic warp threads, means independent of said supply spools for eedingeach of a plurality of spaced groups of elastic warp threads, means for covering both sets of warp threads in each group, and means responsive to stretch of said elastic no threads of each group for controlling-the feeding means for the elastic threads 0 hat group to maintain their uniform stretch.

20. In a loom, means for feeding textile warpthreads, means unaffected by atmospheric conditions for feeding elastic warp threads, a rotating member in said elastic thread feeding means for engaging said elastic threads individually, means for covering both said warp threads, and means responsive, to variation in elongation of "said elastic threads for controlling the feeding means for a the elastic threads to maintain their uniform elongation.

21. In a loom, means for feeding textile warp threads, means for feedin elastic warp threads, means-in said elastic t read-feeding means for gripping said elastic warp threads individually, means for coverin both said warp threads, andfiieans responsive to varia- 

